Chicago gang members outnumber cops 9 to 1 amid high retirement

What could possibly go wrong?

Gang members in Chicago outnumber law enforcement officers about 9 to 1 — as officers are on track to retire in record numbers this year, police said Wednesday. Police Superintendent David Brown estimated last year that there are about 117,000 gang associates, who are part of the city’s 55 known gangs. The number greatly exceeds the city’s police force, which employs around 13,000 officers. The disparity may be even worse due to the droves of cops retiring this year, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Between January and June, there were 363 officers that left the department, according to police pension board figures. “We are on track, I believe, to have one of the highest retirement numbers in the city’s history,” said Ray Lopez, an alderman, or local official who represents the city’s 15th ward, the newspaper reported.

Chicago gang members outnumber cops 9 to 1 amid high retirement